


Having the Time of Our Lives

by lookninjas



Category: Glee
Genre: Multi, Public Humiliation, mentions of fighting, mentions of underage drinking (nothing worse than canon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 02:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6101268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookninjas/pseuds/lookninjas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six moments before, during, and after McKinley's 2011 junior prom, as seen by members of the New Directions glee club.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Having the Time of Our Lives

**Author's Note:**

> I can't stop writing prom fic. Why can't I stop writing prom fic? Please send help.

1\. Sam

 

It's weird how Puck's so into helping Artie with his prom proposal thing, but it's kind of sweet, too. It's also kind of contagious, which is why Sam sneaks into the choir room to practice his part for "Isn't She Lovely" instead of heading off to the cafeteria for lunch.

(Well, it's that and the fact that three weeks after the truth came out, people are still staring at his brown bag like it's the saddest thing in the world, even though like half the kids here eat a sack lunch every day. And it's not like his has some sort of magical poor people food that's different than anyone else's, and even if he was eating dirt>, half the ex-Cheerios are still living off freaking tabasco sauce and gravel, so he'd still fit right in. But pretty much no one else sees it that way anymore, and he's still not real good with the staring, so sometimes the choir room is just... easier.)

The song's not real hard, but he can't quite get that run at the end to go as fast as it needs to. Sam's practicing the chord changes with his left hand, trying to figure out if there's a better way to transition, when he looks up and sees Kurt standing in the doorway, watching him. "Hey," he says, pulling his pick out from between his teeth and waving.

"Hey," Kurt says, taking a few slow steps into the room. Kurt's always so cautious around people, like he's never totally sure if he's going to be welcomed or chased away; sometimes it takes him like ten minutes just to make it from the door to his seat. Sam tries not to take it personally. He knows it's not him; it's that this school is totally fucked up and has made Kurt feel like no one will ever trust him. It's just... hard to take sometimes. "Practicing for the big night?"

"Nah. I mean, I guess -- kind of?" Sam shrugs and leans his guitar against a nearby chair; he figures it'll be easier to talk to Kurt without having the guitar resting on his lap like some kind of wall or something. "It's this, like, prom proposal thing. For a friend, not me. I mean, I've already got two dates, so. Don't really need a third."

Kurt finally makes it all the way over to the risers and perches next to Sam, just resting on the edge of his seat. "I know," he says, smiling, his eyes bright. "Mercedes told me. Thank you for that, by the way. I mean, not that... I know you're not just doing it as a favor, but. She was pretty upset about going stag, before."

"It's not a big deal," Sam says, shaking his head. "I mean, I'm not totally sure how I feel about going with Rachel, too, 'cause she's kind of... But Mercedes is cool. We'll have fun."

"You will," Kurt says, with surprising earnestness. And actually, Kurt's been kind of extra glowy and smiley all day, now that Sam thinks about it. Twitchy, too -- at least, more than he usually is -- but definitely happy. "Actually, that's... kind of why I was looking for you. Mercedes said that the three of you were walking to prom? Part of Rachel's whole 'Prom on a Budget' scheme?"

Sam gets briefly distracted by the word _scheme_ , because that's like the absolute best word to describe everything Rachel Berry has ever done, but then he sort of catches himself and refocuses. "Yeah," he says. "Which is actually kind of weird, because my car gets decent mileage and everything so it wouldn't actually cost that much to drive, but I think Rachel's pretty fixated on the idea."

"She is," Kurt says. "But I was wondering if maybe you could help me change her mind? And then maybe the three of you could sort of... carpool? With me and Blaine?"

"You're going to prom with Blaine?" Sam asks, and doesn't even try to hide his grin. Jesus, no wonder Kurt can't stop smiling. This must be huge for him. "Congratulations, man. That's awesome. I'm really happy for you."

Kurt turns pink and stares down at his knees. "Yes, it's... I'm really looking forward to this." He takes a deep breath. "Only there's one little snag. See, Blaine's had a bad experience with... with dances, high school dances, and I just thought maybe he might feel safer if we had kind of a big group, you know, coming and going. And then once we're all inside, we can do whatever, just as long as no one's left... standing alone in the parking lot. Or anything."

And Sam's not always the most perceptive guy, but it kind of doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why being caught alone in a parking lot could lead to Blaine never wanting to go to another high school dance again. At least, not without some bodyguards. "Like safety in numbers," he suggests. "So none of us get messed with."

"Exactly," Kurt says, sounding relieved. "I mean, not like Puck's ridiculous Secret Service plan or anything, but... friends. Sticking together."

Sam reaches out and claps him on the back; Kurt stares at him for a few seconds, like he's startled that Sam is even _touching_ him, and it's fucked up, what this school does to nice guys like Kurt. "We'll figure something out," he says, and grins at Kurt again. "Anyway, I kind of owe you, so."

"You don't," Kurt says, quickly. He reaches out and pats Sam's knee, just two quick, light touches before he retreats again. "Like I said. It's just friends sticking together."

"Right," Sam says, and leaves his hand on Kurt's back for a few seconds longer. "Totally. We'll stick together."

 

2\. Tina

 

"Look, it's a simple question," Tina says, as Kurt pulls three more pairs of trousers out of his closet and drapes them over the chair at his vanity. "Did he or did he not say that he was fine with the kilt?"

"Well, of course he said he was fine!" Kurt comes out with yet another suit, his face flushed and his hair tousled, and they are going to have to do so much to get him ready to go meet Blaine's parents, and this sudden wardrobe crisis isn't helping. " _After_ I said I'd rather go without him than even think about dressing down! God, I still can't believe I -- I mean, he's been so patient, and I knew he was freaking out, but I just --"

Tina cocks her head to the side as Kurt holds up a suit jacket in front of himself in the mirror, turns, studies the angles, then sighs and casts it aside, reaching for something else. "I know I haven't spent that much time with Blaine," she begins, hesitantly, "but I can't think that he'd just let you... I mean, he doesn't just say yes to you every time you want something, does he? It's not like he's --" But Kurt still hasn't turned to look at her, and Tina realizes that she's going to have to do a little bit more to get him to see reason. "I mean, it's not like he's Mike or any--"

" _Don't_ you bring your boyfriend into this," Kurt snaps; his eyes stay fixed on the outfits spread out in front of him, but his shoulders tense up. "And for the record, you could not be more wrong about Mike Chang. He doesn't just go along with what you want out of some weird... obligation, or whatever you're thinking. He knows what he wants. And what he wants is you. And you need to start trusting him, or this is never going to work."

"And you need to start trusting Blaine." _That_ finally gets Kurt's attention; he lifts his head and stares at her, eyes wide and sort of watery, and Tina sighs and shifts her skirts over, patting the bed. "Come here," she orders, and Kurt obediently sinks to the bed next to her. "Hands," and his hands slide into hers. She squeezes them, smiling at him. "Kurt, I might not know Blaine that well, but I know he's crazy about you. Anyone with eyes could tell you that much. And this..." She withdraws one of her hands from Kurt's to gesture at his studded jacket and plaid kilt and ridiculously amazing boots. "This is part of who you are. And Blaine knows that. I mean, he's seen you in a straitjacket and a top hat. And judging by the way he looked at you, I'm pretty sure he liked it."

Kurt sniffles, wiping at his nose with his free hand. "He did say he liked what the jacket did for my silhouette," he admits, blushing a little bit. "You know, with the shoulders and the waist, and... And. Um. Also that he kind of... that he was worried he wouldn't be able to stop staring. At my legs."

Tina uses her free hand to tug Kurt close and kiss his forehead. "Then give him something to stare at," she suggests, and grins at him.

"I just..." Kurt takes a deep breath. "I know that this is... hard for him, and I... I just want to make it easier. If I can."

"I know," Tina says. "And Blaine knows. And if he needed you to dress down, he would have asked you to do it. But he didn't. So don't second-guess him, okay? He knows what he wants. He wants you. Just... Trust him. Like he trusts you."

Kurt finally straightens up and looks at Tina, dabbing at his eyes. "I suppose I wouldn't have time to pull together a suitable second choice anyway," he mutters, glancing dourly at the jackets and trousers scattered all over the room. "At this rate, I'll barely have time to make myself presentable for Blaine's parents."

Tina pulls him up to his feet and tugs him over to the vanity. "You don't need time," she says, pushing him down in the chair and reaching for a comb. "You have me."

"So I do," Kurt murmurs, and the two of them smile at each other in the mirror for a few seconds before Tina starts in on Kurt's hair.

 

3\. Mike

 

Kurt rushes past, chasing after Finn and Coach Sylvester and that oily Jesse St. James guy, and Mike blinks for a second, then sets down his glass of punch and hurries after them.

He's not totally sure what he's doing.

It seems like everyone's calmed down a little bit since Kurt came back and Santana and Karofsky started patrolling the halls and everything, but still. Mike can't quite shake the way Kurt looked during that last week before Sectionals, pale and jittery and tense all the time, and he just doesn't want to see him looking like that again, not if he can help it. And anyway, he told Tina that he'd look out for Kurt, and maybe that was a while ago, but a promise is a promise, right?

So he follows Kurt.

"Coach, come on," Finn pleads, as Coach Sylvester pushes him and Jesse out the door. Kurt skids to a halt like a millisecond before he can run the three of them down, and Mike just barely catches himself, putting one hand on Kurt's shoulder to keep from toppling over. Kurt blinks at him, then turns back to Finn. "I can't leave now. I told Kurt's dad I'd keep an eye on him, and I --"

Coach Sylvester just rolls her eyes and keeps herding them off towards Finn's battered pickup truck, with Kurt and Mike scrambling behind them, trying to keep up. "And you should have thought of that before you went all Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots with Schuester's bastard child here," she snaps.

"Can I just ask one question?" Jesse asks, looking over his shoulder at Coach Sylvester. "Why does everyone think I'm related to Will Schuester?"

"Because you're curly-headed and untrustworthy, and what you lack in marketable skills, you make up for in vests." Coach gives him one last shove. " _That's_ why. And save the sob stories, Frankenteen. Even if I trusted you to actually watch out for Porcelain, which I don't, the Changster here has obviously volunteered to pick up your slack. Isn't that right, Matt or Mike or whatever your name is?"

Suddenly, Mike realizes that even Finn and Jesse are staring at him now, and he's still got his hand on Kurt's shoulder but he kind of thinks he might faint if he lets go, so he just holds on. "I... Um... Sure, I guess?"

Kurt rolls his eyes, which doesn't exactly make Mike feel more confident, but he doesn't brush Mike's hand away from his shoulder, either. "If I may, Coach?" he asks. "I understand the seriousness of what Finn did, and I completely agree with you that both he and Jesse should lose their prom privileges for the remainder of the evening, if not the remainder of their lives. But I'd like to have a word with him before he leaves, if that's all right with you."

"Fine by me," Coach Sylvester says, and turns to glare at Mike one last time; he swears he can feel his bones actually _wilting_. "You. Stay here with Porcelain. Do _not_ let him out of your sight."

"Yeah," Mike says, his voice cracking a little. "I mean, no. I won't."

Coach just shakes her head and stalks off, muttering under her breath.

"She's gone," Kurt says, as soon as the doors to the school bang closed. He glances up at Mike. "You can go now."

Except the thing is that Mike is suddenly aware of how many cars there are in the parking lot, and how many of them have dome lights on inside, and how many of the football team's biggest assholes have spent the week talking about how they're going to get hammered in their cars before the King and Queen are announced. And he's very, very aware of how dangerous a drunk, football-playing asshole can be. "Sorry, dude," he murmurs, and tightens his grip on Kurt's shoulder. "A promise is a promise."

"What a noble sentiment, Michael," Jesse says, smiling, and even his smile is, like, greasy. Mike can't totally blame Finn for wanting to knock the guy out. "It's a shame Finn doesn't share in your convictions."

Kurt rolls his eyes again. "Shut up, Jesse," he says. "And Finn, don't you say one word."

"But--"

"Not. One. _Word._ Honestly, what were you even thinking? _Were_ you even thinking? Because if you had been, you would have _realized_ that --"

And the thing is, Mike kind of almost thinks that maybe Kurt doesn't need his protection. But there's still all those cars in the parking lot, and all those dome lights, and anyway. A promise is a promise.

 

4\. Lauren

 

The first thing she thinks is that Quinn was actually right.

She was wrong about the pig's blood, maybe. Or at least there hasn't been any sign of it so far. But she was right about McKinley when she said that the whole school would laugh. That they'd be snickering when it was time to hand out the crown. And while Lauren would usually take some comfort in knowing that no one here had the guts to come after her, she can't this time. Because Kurt's like _her_ \-- he is who he is, weird outfits and weird voice and all, and he's not changing for anyone. And that's why these assholes decided to tear him down. Because they can't handle people like Kurt. Like Lauren.

Well.

Fuck that.

She tugs away from Puckerman's grasp and storms over to Principal Figgins, shoulder-checking him out of the way so she can make a grab for the mic. He doesn't even try to stop her, just slinks back a few steps. And Quinn and Santana have already left the stage in tears, and the kids in the band are just staring there, and right now she pretty much just hates everyone. Because Quinn was right about them. She was so, so right.

"You know what?" she demands, feedback squealing in a way that makes half the girls cover their ears and flinch, and she's glad. "I actually thought you were better than this. I mean, I kind of knew that you're all a little shallow and a lot stupid, and most of you have like no future at all, but I figured you were at least better than this. That you wouldn't all join forces just to single one kid out and ruin his whole night. But I was wrong. You really are that awful."

They all just stare up at her, like they've got no clue what she's talking about, and that's the really shitty thing. Because Lauren's torn people down, too, but at least she owns it. Even when she wishes she could deny it, when it's like the thing with Quinn where she wound up regretting it all, she never once pretended she hadn't done it.

She's never hurt someone and then tried to act innocent. She's never once pretended to be anything other than who she is.

Honestly, she has no idea why she ran for prom queen in the first place. Because this is a fake school full of fake people, and they don't deserve someone like her representing them. And they definitely don't deserve someone like Hummel.

"Actually, I'm glad I lost," she says. "And I kind of wish Hummel wouldn't come back for the crown. I mean, I know he's going to, and you're all going to applaud when he does, because I will end you if you don't, but he really, really shouldn't. Because he is so much better than you, and your stupid pranks, and your cheap, fake little crown. And you don't deserve him."

She drops the microphone with a thump and another burst of feedback that makes them wince, and then she storms off the stage, Puckerman trailing after her. "Lauren," he says. "Hey. Lauren. Look, I know you're mad and all, and I get it if you want to leave, but Kurt's my boy, and I can't just --"

"I'm not leaving," she says, taking up a stance at the edge of the stage with her arms folded, and everyone within ten feet of her takes two steps back. "I'm staying right here until Hummel comes back, and if anyone laughs at him --"

"Cool," Puckerman says, and plants himself by her side. "Like I said, Kurt's my boy. So I'm totally right there with you."

"Good," she says, and glares at everyone around her (they all take another step back), and she waits for Hummel to catch his breath and come back out and _school_ these clowns.

They really, really don't deserve him.

 

5\. Santana

 

She spends what feels like forever waiting for Hummel to peel himself away from his hobbit boyfriend (okay, it's probably three minutes, but it's not like she's made of patience or anything), and when she realizes that it's not gonna happen any time soon, she shoulders herself between the two of them and wraps an arm around each of their waists.

The hobbit looks kind of amused and also a little scared, he grins at Santana and says "Um. Hi?"

Hummel doesn't say anything at all, and he mostly just looks tired.

"Look," Santana says, and tightens her grip on Hummel's waist. "I'm not gonna hug you and cry or anything, and you haven't inspired me to make some sort of deep and meaningful change in my life, but just for the record? If any bitch at this school was gonna beat me, I'm glad it was you."

Hummel blinks at her for a few seconds. Then he smiles; not that weird, creepy, too-bright smile he had earlier, but something kind of bitter and sad and real. "Thank you," he says, finally, his voice breathy and worn out. "Thank you, Santana."

She smiles back at him, and it's probably a lot softer than she wants it to be, but whatever. Anyway, it'll score her major points with Brittany, which was kind of the point of this whole Prom Queen business anyway. "But I'm totally stealing this crown from you next year," she says, and lets go of the hobbit so she can straighten it. Kurt doesn't try to stop her, which is kind of a minor miracle when she thinks about how he fusses with his hair all the time. "So watch your back."

Blaine actually laughs at that, and Santana tries not to smile any wider, but she's not totally sure she succeeds. Kurt's smile broadens too, though, so she figures he doesn't get to judge her. "Bring it," he says.

"Oh, it's _brung_ ," she informs him, and then kisses him on the cheek. He presses one hand to his skin, staring at her, and she laughs before spinning on her heel and hurrying away to find Brittany.

That crown is going to look so much better on her, when she gets it. And she will get it. But for right now, it's all his.

 

6\. Finn

 

So prom sucks, pretty much, and then Kurt yells at him, which is even worse, and _then_ he has to drive Jesse home because Jesse carpooled with Kurt and Finn kind of wants to just make him walk but then Kurt gives him that look (and Mike just stands there, with his hand on Kurt's shoulder, and Finn feels guilty as hell because really, that's where he should be; he made a _promise_ ), and it's twenty minutes in a car with Jesse St. James while Jesse says things like "Out of curiosity, Finn, how exactly were you going to keep an eye on Kurt when you were staring at my date all night?" and "Maybe Mike can take over your responsibilities as Prom King candidate, too -- he'll probably do a lot better than you would anyway," and "Do I really look like Will Schuester? I don't, do I? I mean, the cheerleading coach is known for her insanity, so," and Finn kind of wants to punch him again, only he figures he'd get in even more trouble and anyway he has to keep his eyes on the road ("God, I should have gotten Mike Chang to drive me home; I'm sure he's a better driver than you, too") so he doesn't.

And then he gets home, and his mom and Burt take one look at each other and turn off the tv set, and he kind of doesn't want to tell them what happened but he knows that Kurt will if he doesn't, so he does, and then his mom and Burt look at each other again, and then they look at him, and he kind of wants to just curl up in a little ball and die. And his mom tells him that she's very disappointed in him, not only for starting fights but also for disrespecting Rachel and her right to make her own choices, and Burt says that _he's_ disappointed too, because Rachel can take care of herself, and Kurt and Blaine are a lot more likely to get in trouble and Finn should have been there for them instead of butting into a situation that has nothing to do with him just because he's jealous, and then Finn gets mad and says that he wasn't jealous, and his mom and Burt just look at each other again.

And then he gets grounded until Nationals, which isn't that long, but it still really sucks, and his mom wants to take away his car privileges, too, but Finn points out that Kurt would have to drive him everywhere, which means that it would be harder for him to go on dates with Blaine and whatever, and Kurt's not grounded so that's not fair to _him_ , and his mom gives up.

And then they're going to send him to bed, but he tells them that he wants to stay up and wait for Kurt, because he feels bad (which he does; he still doesn't really think he was that out of line with the Jesse thing, because Jesse totally pressured Rachel into going to bed with him last year even if they didn't actually have sex, and also Jesse's a jerk and he's up to something and Finn will never ever trust him; but he does feel really, really bad about ruining Kurt's night, and possibly also Quinn's). And his mom and Burt look at each other, and they sigh, and then they say okay and go off to bed on their own. And Finn sits and stares at the tv and thinks about how bad he feels for ditching Kurt and Quinn, and how he's not _jealous_ of Rachel, just worried about her because she's his friend.

Mostly, though, he thinks about Jesse St. James, and how badly he sucks.

He totally sucks. He's like the worst person ever.

And then Kurt and Blaine finally walk in the door.

They're leaning on each other; that's the first thing Finn notices. Because Kurt and Blaine don't really touch each other in public -- sometimes they hold hands, and they hugged that one time when Blaine came to sing his goodbyes -- but right now Blaine's arm is around Kurt's waist, and Kurt's arm is around Blaine's shoulders, and they're just sort of _leaning_ on each other, and that's how Finn knows that something is wrong.

The second thing Finn notices is that Kurt is actually taller than Blaine, which isn't really new, but it kind of surprises him every time. He's used to Kurt being kind of tiny and having a baby face and being like this little kid. But right now, Blaine's sort of tucked into Kurt's shoulder, and he's the one who looks small, and Kurt's still not huge, but he's kind of wrapped around Blaine like he can protect him. And Kurt has this look in his eyes, like he's suddenly a lot older than he was this morning, which doesn't really make sense, but that's how he looks.

And then there's the crown. That's the third thing Finn notices. Which is probably for the best, because if Finn had seen the crown first thing, he probably would have assumed that it was his. But now that he's seen the leaning and the way that Blaine looks small and Kurt looks sort of old and really tired, he's pretty sure that the crown has nothing to do with him.

"Dude," he says, finally, and Kurt looks over at him like he didn't even realize Finn was there. "What did they _do_?"

Kurt sort of half-smiles; it doesn't make him look any younger. "They made me their queen," he says, in this high, brittle voice. "Which I suppose was inevitable. And after all, I was referencing the royal wedding, so." And he waves the scepter and gives a little curtsy, and Blaine's arm tightens around his waist.

"Kurt," he says, quietly. "Don't."

Kurt's mouth goes hard. He drops the scepter down to the coffee table.

"Are... Are you okay?" Finn scoots up to the edge of the couch, staring up at Kurt and Blaine. "Did you need... I mean, is there anything --"

"No," Kurt says. "Thank you, but... I think right now it's best if Blaine and I just go to bed. It's been... it's been very tiring. So, if you could --"

Kurt gestures at the couch, and Finn realizes, belatedly, that this is where Blaine is supposed to be sleeping tonight.

But he also realizes that Blaine is clinging to Kurt and Kurt is leaning on Blaine, like they'd both fall apart if they didn't have each other, and it's not like Finn could have stopped the whole prom queen thing from happening, but he can do one thing, at least. "Yeah, I'm really tired, too," he says, and swings his feet up so that he's lying down on the couch. It's like a foot too short, and he's going to have to scrunch down like crazy to make his head fit, but whatever. He closes his eyes. "I think I'll just fall asleep right now. Like, right here."

"And Blaine is supposed to sleep _where_ exactly?" Kurt hisses, clearly not getting the point, and Finn cracks one eye open. "Because your bed is covered with --"

"Dirty laundry," Finn says, and he tries to wink only he's only got one eye open to start with so it's kind of more just... closing his eye. "Tons of it. I wouldn't let Blaine sleep there either, dude."

"So where is he going to --"

Blaine gets it first; his eyes widen a little bit, and he says "Kurt," again, but it's soft and quiet and relieved, and Finn smiles. "Think about it. If your couch is full, and Finn's bed is full, then that means --"

There's a pause, and Kurt sort of deflates, but Blaine holds him up. "Oh," Kurt says, after a second. "Oh. I... Of course. I'll... bring you a blanket."

Finn doesn't answer; he just curls up on his side and closes both his eyes and fakes a snore.

"Come on," Blaine says, finally, his voice really gentle, and Finn listens to their footsteps going up the stairs. And it's not like he doesn't still feel bad for screwing up Kurt's prom, and Quinn's prom, and even Rachel's prom, because he does. But he kind of feels good for a few seconds, knowing that he managed to do at least one thing right.


End file.
